Perpetual Notion Machine

By Perpetual Notion MachineScience Music Natural Sciences

Perpetual Notion Machine episodes

February 19, 2024 Water for All: Global Solutions for a Changing Climate
On this edition of the Perpetual Notion Machine, we speak with University of California-Berkeley professor and author David Sedlak about his latest book Water for All: Global Solutions for a Changing Climate, published in 2023 by Yale University Press. In it, he identifies six water crises and sites ways these could be mitigated to meet water needs across the globe–not only for people, but for ecosystems.
David Sedlak is the Plato Malozemoff Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, and director of the Berkeley Water Center. He earned his Ph.D. in Water Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1992 and B.S. in Environmental Science from Cornell University in 1986. He is the author of the award-winning book Water 4.0: The Past, Present, and Future of the World’s Most Vital Resource. David’s Ted Talk, Four ways we can avoid catastrophic drought has over a million views.
This interview originally aired in two parts on February 8 and 15, 2024.
Author photo: Shira Bezalel
Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here
The post Water for All: Global Solutions for a Changing Climate appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.
45 min
December 28, 2023 A Conversation with Ecologist Carl Safina
The Perpetual Notion Machine speaks with ecologist Carl Safina about his latest book Alfie & Me: What Owls Know, What Humans Believe. The book tells the story of Alfie, a near-death baby Eastern Screech Owl that Safina and his wife Patricia rehabilitated. Alfie had a remarkable impact on their lives as she thrived and raised her own family. Carl’s relationship with Alfie led him to ask questions about how humans relate to the natural world “across cultures and throughout history.”
Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here
The post A Conversation with Ecologist Carl Safina appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.
0 min
November 24, 2023 Betz Botz – Gears of the Harvest Robot Combat Tournament
Robot combat bots engage in thrilling battles that showcase the fusion of engineering prowess and strategic ingenuity. These formidable machines enter the arena with the sole purpose of annihilating opponents.
I talked to Joseph Betz, Founder of Betz Botz and host to the Gears of the Harvest Tournament. He’s spent a lifetime involved with the hobby, and now he’s pushing the sport forward by getting others involved.
Midwest Robot Combat Association 2023 Finals

Image courtesy: StockRocket
Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here
The post Betz Botz – Gears of the Harvest Robot Combat Tournament appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.
0 min
November 10, 2023 Land Conservation in Wisconsin’s Driftless Area
The Perpetual Notion Machine takes a look a land conservation in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin through the lens of volunteers and staff working to restore the ecology at the Wild Oaks Preserve. The preserve is one of five Ambassador Properties owned by the Driftless Area Land Conservancy, which also works with local landowners to preserve and grow publicly-accessible land in the area.
Photo of volunteers working at the Wild Oaks Preserve by Catherine Garvens.
Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here
The post Land Conservation in Wisconsin’s Driftless Area appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.
31 min
October 20, 2023 A “tick”-tac of CWD
It’s deer season! With a harvest, it’s important to take precautions against Chronic Wasting Disease, a prion disease in deer.
Heather Inzalaco from the Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit at UW-Madison tells us about CWD, and a new creepy-crawly place where she found it lurking.
More information about this research is available here:
https://news.wisc.edu/ticks-may-be-able-to-spread-chronic-wasting-disease-between-wisconsin-deer/
https://www.wendyturner.org/

Image: Paul Danese, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here
The post A “tick”-tac of CWD appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.
29 min
October 06, 2023 Managing prairie and oak savanna during climate change
In this pledge drive addition, The Perpetual Notion Machine speaks with Tim Hansel, Wisconsin Master Naturalist and The Prairie Enthusiasts volunteer about how the management and restoration of prairie and oak savanna in Wisconsin may change in the face of global warming and climate change.
Tim Hansel has a PhD in Philosophy from UW Madison and a BS in Meteorology from Valparaiso University. He is a volunteer with the Wisconsin Master Naturalist program and for The Prairie Enthusiasts-Empire Sauk Chapter, and works as the education coordinator for The Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy. Tim is researching climate change trends in the midwest and impacts on the management of tallgrass prairie and oak savanna in Wisconsin.
Photo of the Mounds View Grassland at sunset courtesy of Catherine Garvens.
Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here
30 min
September 22, 2023 Quinone-Mediated Hydrogen with Shannon Stahl
Green chemistry is a scientific approach that aims to design and develop chemical processes and products that reduce the use of hazardous substances and promote sustainability.
Dr. Shannon Stahl joins us to discuss green chemistry and his new paper in the journal Nature that puts forward a new process of making drugs by using hydrogen as a source of electrons for electricity.
Dr. Shannon Stahl is a Professor of Chemistry at U-W Madison. He has over 270 journal publications and 20 patents from more than 20 years of research. His research group at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is using green chemistry to help minimize our environmental impact and move toward a sustainable future.

Image courtesy: PIXABAY
Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here
0 min
August 18, 2023 The digital future of medicine with Jag Singh
AI is everywhere these days, including at the doctor’s office. In the new book Future Care: Sensors, Artificial Intelligence, and the Reinvention of Medicine, cardiologist Jag Singh provides an overview of where we’re at in digitizing various aspects of the healthcare system, from medical research; to monitoring symptoms, diagnosis, and interventions; all the way to hospital management. He presents a vision of what medical care may look like in the future, as technologies to gather, analyze, and synthesize medical data, continue to develop. On this week’s PNM, we discuss with Jag how these new approaches have the potential to restructure how healthcare works.
Future Care is available wherever books are sold. More information about Jag Singh’s work is at https://www.jagsinghmd.com/
Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here
30 min
August 10, 2023 The Death Cap Mushroom and Other Invasive Fungi
Perpetual Notion Machine contributor Catherine Garvens speaks with Dr. Anne Pringle about her research into the invasive Death Cap Mushroom in California and her lab’s ongoing research in the field of mycology. We also discuss her recent year of research in South Africa. Anne is currently the Mary Herman Rubinstein professor in the Departments of Botany and Bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin Madison.
Photo courtesy of The Pringle Lab

Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here
30 min
August 04, 2023 Science Communication in a Crisis with Christopher M Reddy
Science communication involves conveying complex scientific concepts in a clear manner to the public, policymakers, and journalists. Each crisis is unique in its urgency and severity, thus scientists must be creative to promote fact-based decision making and mitigate harms from the crisis.
Christopher M. Reddy joins us to discuss his new book about this topics. Science Communication in a Crisis: An Insider’s Guide is out now.
Christopher Reddy is a Senior Scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He’s published over 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts that dive into his research on the chemistry of oil spills and plastics. He’s testified before Congress five times and has used his expertise to help the Deepwater Horizon oil spill efforts.

Image courtesy: catmoz / PIXABAY
Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here
0 min